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Friday, December 21, 2012

The Steve Dancy Box SetBooks provide hours upon hours of entertainment. If you're
looking for rousing fiction, consider the Steve Dancy Kindle Box Set. The set
includes The Shopkeeper, Leadville, and Murder
at Thumb Butte, all three for $8.99, which is five dollars less than buying each book individually. Together, the three Western novels have 790 Amazon Customer Reviews for 4.4 stars and 1,878 Goodreads ratings for 4.0 Stars.

"...
the book is sad stuff, dull and dreary, or ridiculous. Mr. Melville's Quakers
are the wretchedest dolts and drivellers, and his Mad Captain ... is a
monstrous bore." Charleston
Southern Quarterly Review, 1852

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"no
more than a glorified anecdote, and not too probable at that... Only Gatsby
himself genuinely lives and breathes. The rest are mere marionettes—often astonishingly
lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive."H.L. Mencken, Baltimore
Evening Sun, 1925

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

"Unfortunately,
it is bad news. There are two equally serious reasons why it isn't worth any
adult reader's attention. The first is that it is dull, dull, dull in a
pretentious, florid and archly fatuous fashion. The second is that it is
repulsive." Orville
Prescott, The New York Times, 1958

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

"... it
is impossible to imagine how any man's fancy could have conceived such a mass
of stupid filth, unless he were possessed of the soul of a sentimental donkey
that had died of disappointed love." Rufus
Wilmot Griswold, The Criterion, 1855

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

“What other
culture could have produced someone like Hemingway and not seen the joke?” Gore Vidal

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Sometimes we forget
that American genre fiction is popular overseas—Westerns included. And why not?
We might think of the Wild West as uniquely American, but we enjoy King Arthur,
Lawrence of Arabia, The Count of Monte Cristo, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and samurai adventures. If you
write genre fiction, don't neglect this market. (The Steve Dancy Tales are popular in foreign counties, especially
England and Germany.) If you want a feel for Euro-Westerns, visit The Tainted Archive which
is based in the United Kingdom. This article is about Sergio
Corbucci's spaghetti Westerns. Not as well known as Sergio Leone, Corbucci
wrote and directed the original Django, among other
Westerns.

It used to be difficult to sell in foreign markets, but not
anymore. This is another major change brought about by eBooks. Your book can be
decomposed into ones and zeros, bytes can sprint across the globe at the speed
of light, and then be instantly reassembled in some far off land. In a small
way, Scotty of Star Trek fame has been displaced by a Kindle.

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains by
Owen Wister was one of the first mass-market bestsellers. The 1902 novel
received immediate critical acclaim and was hugely popular, eventually spawning
five films, a successful play, and a television series. An instant success, it
sold over 20 thousand copies in the first month, an astonishing number for the
time. It went on to sell over 200,000 thousand copies in the first year, and
over a million and a half prior to Wister's death. This Western classic has
never been out of print. (You can read my review, "The Virginian, A Classic Western Revisited" at Ezine Articles.)

The Virginian
inspired hundreds of stories about the Old West—including the Steve Dancy Tales. After reading The Virginian, I thought it would make an
interesting story if the Easterner was the protagonist rather than the
narrator. I always enjoyed fish-out-of-water stories.

The Virginian is
credited with inventing the literary Western, and many people are familiar with
the book. Less is generally known about Owen Wister. In 2002, Harvard Magazine published a short biography
of Wister: oddly titled "Owen Wister, Brief life of a Western mythmaker:1860-1938." (By my math he lived to be 78 years old.) Thousands of Westerns have
been written, but The Virginian set the benchmark for excellence in the genre.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

This is my favorite time of year. How could it not be? We
not only celebrate Christmas with my daughter and her family, but each year on
the 27th we all fly to some fun destination and meet up with our son and his
family. We get to see our kids and all six grandchildren together. It's a great
way to ring in the New Year because it reminds us of what is really important
in life. May all of you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2013.

Friday, December 14, 2012

In 2009, The Western Writers of America presented Elmore Leonard
with their prestigious Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement. Leonard
wrote3:10 to Yuma,Hombre,Last Stand at Saber River,
and many other Westerns. He also wrote novels outside the Western genre,
includingGet Shorty,Jackie Brown, andOut of Sight.

Leonard published
his10 Rules of Writing, which was actually a padded version of his New
York Times article. The book may be panned for its brevity, but the advice
is sound.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A friend of mine unintentionally changed my attitude toward revisions. He restores antique cars and starts each project with barely more than a chassis and some rusted sheet metal. With utmost care, he painstakingly replaces every single part until his recreation is better than the shiny piece of the American dream that was driven off the showroom. When he finishes, we go on a ride and I can tell he enjoys the envious looks and honks from other car enthusiasts.

After these inaugural rides, I always assumed the cars were finished, but every time I visited, he would be in the garage replacing this piece or that piece. If he wasn't installing a newly acquired part, he would be polishing nooks and crannies that no one in a standing position would ever see. Sometimes I'd come over to find that he had painted the car a different color or replaced perfectly good upholstery.

One day I asked him if he ever tired of constantly changing an already beautiful car.

"Hell no," he said. "Building the car is work. This is the fun part."

"The fun part?"

"Whenever I start a new project car, I look forward to the day when the basic restoration is done so I can perfect it . My joy is in making it flawless. I fix the little details so people love to spend time with my creation."

"But you keep working on it. How do you know when it's perfect?"

"One day I'll walk all around it, open the doors, lift the hood, examine the truck and there won't be any more changes I want to make." He shrugged. "Then I sell it and start all over again."

Now I look forward to completing a manuscript so I can tighten and polish it until there are no more changes I want to make. Then I sell it and start all over again.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The popularity of eReaders has decimated the mass paperback
market, and several publishers have even abandoned the format. An eReader can
display font in any size, so I assumed the next casualty of eBooks would be large
print. Not so. Or, at least, not yet. When I received my statement from my
large print publisher, I was pleasantly surprised. How is it that large print holds its own against the ebook
revolution?

I think it has to do with the market for large print books.
Whether it’s libraries or direct purchase, the market is seniors. Seniors are
not gadget prone and remain attached to the feel and simplicity of a real book.
No buttons, no touch screens, no hot links. Books are what seniors have read
their entire life and only their children prod them to change. Seniors can’t
see the point. They get lost in the story and turn the page without conscious thought,
just a motor reflex learned through decades of practice.

The boomers will
probably carry their eReaders into old age, but most of their parents will remain loyal
to the printed book.

If you're looking for a senior gift, you might consider one of these large print books.

Monday, December 10, 2012

A few days ago, I posted an article titled “How do you pick your next book to read?” I received a couple questions on a throwaway comment
that “sales can occur a considerable time after a promotional event.”My background is direct marketing , so I understood why this statement was
troubling. The mantra in direct marketing is measure and react. If you can’t measure due to an extended time
delay, how can you react by adjusting or amplifying your marketing actions? I don’t know.

I do know personal appearances like signings, club presentations, and
book festivals work because even if I don’t sell many books at the event, I see Amazon sales improve the following week. But what about greater delays? Most people take a
long time to read a book, and prolific readers always have a queue. How do you
know what specific event caused a reader to download a sample of your book onto an eReader? How long does it take for a reader to get around to a free sample they downloaded? Another question: do sample chapters at the end of your book generate follow-on sales?

One time I sat down and made a list of all the marketing
things I was doing and then separated them into three groups: 1) actions that didn't work, 2) actions that did work, 3) actions I didn't know if they worked
or not. You guessed it; the third category was by far the longer list. The real
issue isn't whether something works or not, but which actions are the most
productive. I know the #1 most productive marketing action. Write a darn good
book—one that will generate word-of-mouth. Beyond that, I’m at a loss.

I may not know which other actions are productive, but I
have learned the cardinal rule of book marketing.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

For me, there are three major elements of good western. The
first is the romance of a new beginning, the second is the battle of good
versus evil, and the third is the lone warrior who sets things right.

Hopalong Cassidy
as illustrated by Frank Earle Schoonover, 1905

The old west represents a fresh beginning in a new place
away from home - the shrugging off of disappointments and a chance to start all
over again. Emigrating to a frontier means you get a do-over in a land with no
rules, no referees, and no fences.

The mythical old west is a black and white
world. Good fights evil and good usually triumphs. In stories of the Old West,
ordinary people are capable of extraordinary heroism.

But raw frontiers are
dangerous, so even courageous pioneers need help. No civilization means no
restraints on bad people doing bad things. Help comes in the shape of an idealized
hero, a paladin who risks his life to save the day and asks nothing in return.

These themes have been a part of storytelling in every
society since the first cave drawings. You'll also find these elements dominate
fantasy and science fiction. The frontier in these genres can be the future,
outer space, or a make-believe land. The gunfighter has a simple solution on his
hip, while Frodo has the ring and Harry Potter the magic wand.

Friday, December 7, 2012

I'm a compulsive reader. I read everything and I read all the time. I suspect it started when I was in the fifth grade and I spent my breakfast reading the shredded wheat box. I even read the dividers that separated the rows of three biscuits. Nabisco sponsored the television program Sargent Preston of the Yukon and my hero was all over the box and dividers. That's how I ended up owning one square inch in the Klondike. Darn, I wish I still had my deed.

You'll be pleased to know I've graduated from cereal boxes to books. First the Hardy Boys, and then mass paperbacks. I was a junior in high school when I discover nonfiction with Theodore White's The Making of the President 1960. College introduced me to classics.

In adulthood, I wandered books stores and paperback racks looking for my next read. Bestsellers lists had already down-selected which books got prominent display, and I usually picked by author or back cover copy.

The publishing world has changed. Bookstores are becoming rarer, yet there are tens of thousands of more books available. The shelf-life of a book has been extended well beyond presence on a bestseller list. Electronic books are increasingly taking over fiction and narrative prose. Old book selection tools like magazines and newspapers are withering. Literary reviews are being displaced by reader reviews.

So how does a person pick their next book to read? For me, it's easy. I carry my Kindle with me almost everywhere. Writing has crowded out my reading time, so I read in line at the airport, in my doctor's lobby, in the car as my wife runs into a store, or while eating breakfast or lunch. I also have my Kindle with me when I watch television. It's always around when I use my computer. Why? It has to do with how I pick my next book to read. Whenever I hear or read about a book that sounds interesting, I immediately download a sample onto my kindle. I do this while talking to friends, watching television, surfing the Internet, attending book events, or when reading a periodical. After I finish a book, I metaphorically thumb through my samples, usually reading a chapter or two, then select my next book. At any point in time, I probably have twenty books queued up.

Electronic reading devices have changed the publishing industry and reading habits. It has also changed the way we chose books.

Back copy is less important than the opening of the book

Bestseller lists mean less than frequent mention on broadcast and cable outlets

Social media builds name recognition

Word-of-mouth is even more powerful

This means emerging authors have tools to compete with famous authors. More important sales can occur a considerable time after a promotional event. Book sales are now a long-haul business. Someone might download a book sample weeks, or even months before they make a purchase decision.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Western
fiction is frequently disparaged as illegitimate literature. This myth is perpetuated by classifying literary stories that occur
in the West as something other than a Western. Many of the smart people believe Westerns are dime
novels, pulp fiction, and straight-to-paperback formula bunkum. But the Western
has a long and valid history in literature.

James
Fenimore Cooper may have been the first Western author of note. The Last of the Mohicans and the rest of
the Leatherstocking Tales were in the Western tradition. Written in
1826 about events that supposedly occurred nearly seventy-five years prior, The Last of the Mohicans incorporates
all of the characteristics of a modern Western.

Mark Twain
is universally acknowledged as one of the great American literary figures, but
is seldom referred to as a Western writer. Yet, Roughing It is a first-hand description of the Wild West of
Virginia City during the heyday of the Comstock Lode. Granted, Roughing It is Twain-enriched
non-fiction, but The Adventures ofTom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are coming-of-age
novels set on the American frontier.

When Owen
Wisterpublished The Virginian in 1902, the novel received critical acclaim and was
a huge bestseller, eventually spawning five films, a successful play, and a
television series. An instant success, it sold over 20 thousand copies in the
first month, an astonishing number for the time. It went on to sell over
200,000 thousand copies in the first year, and over a million and a half copies
prior to Wister's death. This classic has never been out of print.

Max Brand,
Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, Jack Schaefer, Elmer Kelton, Larry McMurtry, and
Cormac McCarthy continued the Western tradition and all of them have been highly
successful. Recently Nancy E. Turner (These
is my Words) and Patrick deWitt (The
Sisters Brothers) have penned praiseworthy Westerns that are popular with
readers.

Western
literature has a grand heritage and will continue to appeal to readers all over
the world. Good writing, sound plots
that move with assurance, and great characterization will elevate the genre
back the top of the bestseller charts.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

"The world is rid of
him, but the deadly slime of his touch remains."—John Constable about the death
of Lord Byron

"Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'"—Mary McCarthy about Lillian Hellman

"If he really meant what he writes, he would not write
at all."—Gore Vidal about Henry Miller

"I am fairly
unrepentant about her poetry. I really think that three quarters of it is
gibberish. However, I must crush down these thoughts, otherwise the dove of
peace will shit on me."—Noel Coward about Dame Edith
Sitwell

"He had a mind so
fine that no idea could violate it."—T. S. Eliot about Henry James

"She was a master at
making nothing happen very slowly."—Clifton Fadiman about Gertrude
Stein

"The stupid person's idea of the clever person."—Elizabeth Bowen about Aldous Huxley

"To those she did not like she was a stiletto made of sugar."—John Mason Brown about Dorothy Parker

Home to The Steve Dancy Tales

"The James Best books...are about the best new Western series to come along since Larry McMurtry."—Larry Winget, True West Magazine

"James D. Best is arguably one of the best writers of westerns." —Alan Caruba, Bookviews

"I have to say its one of the best western books I’ve read in a long time. The characters, the plot, everything seem so real. You’ll find yourself lost in the book—the fast pace keeps it interesting." — Maritza Barone, Woman'sDay